We go to the range. We have our range bag, two boxes of shells and our pistol. More than likely, we’re wearing our “lucky shooting shirt” with our favorite cargo pants, and we probably have our gun belt on, as well. Step up to the 3-, 5-, 7- or 10-yard line (pick your poison) on the square range. Slowly and carefully take aim. Drill that one, ragged hole into a paper target and tell yourself, “You are the man/woman!” Fifty to 100 rounds later, maybe after a couple of hammer pairs thrown in for good measure, we are done. Fini, finito, fertig, complevit!
Not by a long shot, pardon the pun. The practice session in which you have engaged looks nothing like the actual gun fight for which you carry your concealed weapon religiously. You have not drawn your weapon from your holster, much less from concealment where you’ll be carrying it, hopefully, when you need to access it. You will probably need it in a hurry. Slow is smooth; smooth is fast! Have you ironed out the creases in your draw stroke lately? Is your weapon shifting around in your hand or do you have a solid grip, deeply into the web of the thumb of your shooting hand? Are you seeing the front sight clearly as you present the weapon? How’s your trigger press? Are you jerking the trigger or maybe pushing the muzzle forward? Why is my group always a little bit low and left? What are those things on the ends of my shoelaces called? By the way, they’re called aglets and yes, I had to Google it! FOCUS! Did you remember to breathe? I probably shouldn’t go here, but did you move off the firing line at any time during the entire session? Did you perform any level I, II or III clearances? Any speed or tactical reloads? I thought not… It may be a bit late in the game to ask this, but did you ever think about the four rules of firearm safety during this practice regiment?
And this, my friends, is where we all started. Seems a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? I have heard that gun fights can be overwhelming, as well, even stressful. That’s why we practice under controlled stress, with a plan. We try to make practice as close to the real thing so that if we are ever engaged in the real thing, we are closer to being prepared for it. Learn to manage the stress so that you can solve the problems as they arise. In the gun world we use the phrase “Fix it!” Can you imagine shooting from a vehicle? Sitting or lying on the ground? With one hand? How about the support (weak) hand only? If your palms are getting sweaty, I have made you think. Good.
“Practice gotta be harder than the games and it never is unless you want it to be as a player. The coach can’t drive that.” – Head Coach John Calipari of the University of Kentucky
How hard are you practicing? If you want to practice harder, smarter, and better than you ever have before, call me. We’ll make it happen! Good luck and good shooting.
It is with a note of sadness that I close this month’s column. Friend, firearms instructor, and all-around shooting legend Ronnie Dodd was recently killed in an ATV accident. Ronnie was the former police chief of the Red Bank, TN police department, a worldwide authority on police training, the owner and operator of Dodd and Associates Training in Sale Creek, TN and an all-around good old boy! You will be missed, Ronnie!
